Wet or Dry Dog Food? What’s Better and What’s the Best Wet Dog Food/Dry Food?

When it comes down to choosing dog food for your beloved baby, you want to make the right choice. You want the right ingredients, the right mix, and the right measures.

Who the heck knows whether you should go with wet or dry dog food? And who knows what the best wet dog food is and what the best dry dog food is? Are you supposed to go into the store and view products for two hours to figure it out?

No. Instead, here’s a brief foretelling of the benefits and shortcomings of each:

Benefits of Dry Dog Food

• Easy to store and measure out
• Benefits your dog’s teeth and gums – tartar control, etc
• Helps with stool formation

Drawbacks of Dry Dog Food

• According to the Animal Protection Institute, some dry foods are sprayed with animal fat, an unnecessary and unhealthy ingredient
• Tends to be high in gluten

Benefits of Canned Food

• Contains more protein, which is beneficial for some dogs
• Many dogs find it more palatable
• Long shelf life

Drawbacks of Canned Food

• Some dogs gain weight more easily on wet food
• Requires refrigeration when opened

Here’s my take. And I humbly approximate this because it is an opinion and there are many of those out there…

A mix of dry kibble with wet food is the route to take. That’s how it has been done in the Smith house for my 33 years and since before I even existed — and we’ve had dogs live to be 15 – in the 90’s. That was before you had all these fancy-dancy nutritionists telling you that you couldn’t have fillers or you couldn’t have corn starch. (On that note, I would not recommend those things.)

One way to help your dog maintain good health is to make sure his or her moisture intake is adequate. Wet food has a higher level of moisture than dry, so serving it on a daily basis helps with moisture intake.

But do what you think is best for your dog… You never know…. Do you have Fido running into the kitchen because he hears the bag opening or because he hears the can opener going…?

The other thing I want to bring up is to know your dog and know your ingredients. Real meat is the best thing you can give your dog. Its animal protein and that’s what they thrive on, whether it be chicken, beef, turkey or duck.

You could get the best wet dog food by going to the store to view products and discover that the one you thought to be the best doesn’t have the right ingredients for your dog’s optimum health. You may discover that one food, like a Healthy Weight formula, will work better for your pooch than a regular dry food would. Or you might realize that a plain old wet food and a plain old dry food are best for your companion.

It’s not always a question of the best wet dog food versus the best dry dog food. While Spot can certainly be healthy on either, most experts agree that often the most balanced diet is a mix of both. So the original Smith dog-owner in my family, probably my Great-Grandfather, was right!

Don’t forget, supplements can be added to round off your doggie diet (ask your vet first). So keep your dog healthy and happy with a diet that works well for him. And as always, ask your veterinarian about your companion’s diet and what his/her recommendations are.